Hand bag



C. WOLF HAND BAG Jan. 24, 1933.

Filed Nov, 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Chares Wolf Y M ATTORNEYSC. WOLF Jan. 24, 1933.

HAND BAG Filed Nov. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Chafles Wolf BY Mu ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 24, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLESWOLF, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO SCHOENFELD & WOLF, ING, OF NEW YORK,N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK HAND BAG Application filed November 11,1932. Serial No. 642,259.

This invention relates to hand bags, and more particularly to a novelform of ladies hand bag provided with a book compartment.

Ladies ordinarily carry a novel or other book when traveling, and thisis true of a working girl commuting to and from work, as well as a womantraveling for rest or pleasure. Inasmuch as ladies also customarilycarry with them at all times a hand bag for a purse, mirror, cosmetics,and the like, considerable inconvenience is occasioned in carrying andmanaging both articles. The primary and general object of the presentinvention resides in the provision of a novel form of ladies hand bagthe storage pockets or compartments of which are combined with anappropriate book cover or book compartment, so that a single,conveniently handled article, presenting a neat, attractive, andintegral appearance, is all that need be carried. Further and moreparticular objects of my invention are: to design the book-carryingportion of the hand bag to open widely, making it possible to open andread the book without removing the same from the bag; to provide thebook compartment with appropriate retaining means for holding the bookin place, so that the book is opened when the book compartment isopened, and the book may be read while holding the assembly in one hand,this making for extreme convenience in the case of commuters in largecities who ordinarily have to stand while traveling; to fully enclosethe side edges as Well as the cover boards of the book, if desired, forcomplete protection and complete concealment of the book; to provideseparate and independently operable closure means for the bookcompartment and the remaining parts of the hand bag, thus keeping thehand bag safely closed While opening and reading the book; and to sorelate the hand bag and book compartment that the openable edges of eachwill be located at the same edge of the hand bag, thus tending tominimize disarray of articles in the hand bag and preventing loss of thesame when opening the book compartment to read the book carried thereby.

Further objects of the present invention center about certain structuralfeatures of the hand bag, and are: first, the provision of a hand bagwhich is partially of the envelope type and partially of the frame type;secondly, to so relate the envel-ope'bag portion and frame bag portionthat the latter will stiffen and support the former; thirdly, toappropriately dimension the partitions and gussets of the envelope bagportion relative to the frame, and to so secure the closure flap of theenvelope bag portion to the frame, that the stiffening caused by theframe will insure accurate and tight closing of the various pockets ofthe envelope portion of the hand bag, thus effectually proventing escapeof any of the articles carried thereby; fourthly, to so combine theaforesaid bag portions that a common wall or partition may be used forthe adjacent sides of both the envelope and frame bag portions; andfifthly, to thus improve the hand bag and increase its utility and valueirrespective of Whether or not it is used as a book cover, the bookcompartment then being available for small articles acquired whenshopping, or the like.

Still further objects of the present invention center about a preferredform of frame construction for the bag. Considered in this aspect,objects of my invention are: to provide a bag frame suitable for a handbag such as has simple in form, low in cost, andv light in Weight; whichmay be appropriately plated or finished to provide a relatively wideband of contrasting color which enhances the attractive appearance ofthe bag; which will provide a book compartment of substantial width,making it possible to accommodate an ordinary novel or like book withoutsubstan tial or unsightly bulging of the hand bag; which will helpsupport the book when the compartment is opened to read the book; toprovide the same with appropriate hinge means so located that the bookmay be opened in flat condition when reading the same; and, finally, toprovide lock means for the frame which will be operable independently ofclosure means for the ordinary pockets in the hand bag.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as willhereinafter apalready been described, which will be pear, my inventionconsists in the hand bag or/and book cover elements, and their relationone to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly described in thespecification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specificationis accompanied by drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hand bag embodying features of myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hand bag with the book compartmentopened;

ig. 3 shows the hand bag with the book compartment closed and thepockets opened;

Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane of the line 44 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the book compartment fully opened, with thebook removed.

Referring to the drawings, the hand bag of my invention comprises a handbag portion H and a book compartment or book cover portion B. The handbag is preferably stiffened by 'a relatively rigid metallic frame Fwhich in the present case is associated with and forms a part of thebook compartment B. The hand bag portion H is in the pres-. ent casedevoid of frame elements, and instead structurally resembles an envelopebag,

in contrast with the book compartment B which structurally resembles aframe bag. As will later be shown, however, the envelope portion H isitself stiffened and strengthened by the frame F even though the latteris more directly associated with the book compartment B.

As will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 3, the envelope portion ofthe bag is made up of end walls 12 and 14 and intermediate partitionwalls 16, 18, and 20, the walls 12 and 16 and the walls 18 and 20 beingstitched by peripheral lines of stitching 22, while the walls 16 and 18and the walls 20 and 14 are stitched to ether by lines of stitching 24located a su stantial distance within the periphery of the hand bag, andthus forming accordion-type gussets which permit the severalcompartments and pockets of the bag to spread or expand apart as may benecessar to accommodate articles carried thereby. f the two large andtwo small pockets thus formed, the outer small pocket may, if desired,be provided with a change purse 26. The bag is closed by a closure flap28 which may, if desired, be weighted and stiffened by an auxiliary flap30 nearly coextensive with the closure flap, thus forming a flat pocket32 therebetween. This at the same time conceals the holding means forsnap fastener element 34 and also for any desired metallic decorations,such as the initials 36 shown'in Fig. 1. When flap 28 is folded over'theopen or upper edges of the bag compartments, snap fastener 34 may bepressed into and engaged in a mating fastener element 38 secured to wall12. The bag will then be in the condition shown in Fig. 1,

which figure incidentally shows the possibility of employing appropriatepieces of contrasting decorative material 40 on the outer wall of flap28.

The book compartment B comprises side walls 14 and 42 which are joinedat the bottom edge 44, as by being made of a single piece of material,but which are separable along the side and upper edges, these edgespreferably being defined by the frame F. The latter consists of a pairof U-shaped frame members 50 and 52 the lower or open ends orextremities of which are hinged together by appropriate rivets 54. Eachframe member 50 and 52 is itself preferably U-shaped or channeled incross-section, as is most clearly shown in Fig. 4, theresulting channels56 permitting the edges of the material of the bag to be inserted in theframe and locked in place, as by compressing the walls of the framechannel together. It should be noted that, contrary to usual practice,the channels 56 are arranged at right angles to the plane of the framemembers, instead of lying in the plane thereof, so that the framemembers when brought into abutting relation, as shown in Flgs. 1 and 3,for example, themselves possess considerable width and thus create abook compartment which is of substantial width and consequently is notbulged to an unsightly extent when carrying a book of normal dimension.

It will be appreciated that the frame members 50 and 52 are equal insize and meet in edge to edge or abutting relation. The closed edges ofthe channel members preferably face toward one another, thereby exposingthe metallic frame members to view. By appro priately plating thesemembers in nickel, or

gold, or other finish, a contrast may be set up on the bag between thematerial of the bag and the metal, which enhances the attractiveness andappearance of the hand bag, besides the neatness and definitiveoutlinewhich the frame gives to the bag solely by reason of its rigidityand support. The frame members are dimensioned to readily accommodatebooks in a range of sizes ordinarily met with and may, for example, be8% inches long and 6 inches high. In a specific case the frame memberswere each made of an inch in width, giving a total width of of an inch;and while this width is not equal to the thickness of an ordinary novel,it is sufiicient so that the added thickness or width ofcompartment-caused by an ordinary novel actually improves the appearanceof the bag by causing a slight tapering or rounding at the edges of thebook compartment, and by exposing some of the wall material to view inthe bag profile.

The boo-k compartment is preferably provided with a pair of flaps 58 and60, best shown in Fig. 5, which form pockets adapted to" receive thecover boards 62 and 64 of a book 66 being carried in the bag, as isshown in Figs. 2 and 4. It will be noted that the pocket is preferablymade wider than the pocket 58, this facilitating insertion of 2, book inthe compartment, for the cover board 62 is first slipped in pocket 60,and cover board 64 is subsequently inserted in the narrower pocket 58.The wide, full-area pocket 60 may in turn be used to conceal papers,letters, passport, or the like, these being carried in back of the bookcover 62. It will be evident that the pockets 58 and 60 hold the book inplace and cause the book to open when the Qbook compartment is opened.It will further be evident that with this arrangement the hand bag andbook may be supported in one hand, as is shown in Fig. 2, when readingthe book, thus making it possible to read the book while standing in acrowded train, bus, or the like. This is a great convenience to the userbecause the other hand may hold a strap or other support. At the sametime, the combination is convenient for any traveler, because both thehand bag and book are together and accessible and not easily mislaid orlost as is the case when they are separate from one another. W'hen aframe such as the frame F is employed, the book is supported by theframe itself as well as by the pockets, so that it cannot slide out ofthe book compartment. Cons dering the book compartment simply as a bookcover, it should be noted that it protects the book, conceals the book,and completely houses the same when the book is not being read.

It should be noted that the hinges 54 of the frame are locatedsubstantially coincident with the bottom edge 44 of the bookcompartment, and this locat on is important and desirable in order topermit the book compartment to open out in a substantially flatcondition, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5, so that there is no tendencyto hold the book in a partially closed position which might interferewith comfortable reading ofthe same. Thus, referring to Fig. 4, the bookbinding 70, the hinges 54, and the bottom edge 44 of the compartment,are all in close relation, permitting the book, the frame, and thecompartment walls to open or close as a unit. The frame is provided withclosure means separate from and preferably operable independently of theclosure means of the envelope portion of the bag. In the present case,frame 56 is provided with a resiliently oscillatable latch plate 72having recesses 7 4 arranged to engage mating lugs 76 on hand bag frame56. The latch or lock means used may be of any desired type, the only important feature being that the book compartment be openable whilekeeping the envelope portion of the bag closed, and the latter,conversely, being openable, as shown in Fig. 8, while keeping the bookcompartment closed.

In the example here shown, the side and top edges of the outer wall 42of the book compartment are secured within the channel of frame 52. Theflap 60 for the book cover pocket is not secured within the channel ofthe frame, butinstead is stitched to the outer wall 42 by a line ofstitching 80, best shown in Fig. 4, which extends around the peripheryof the material 60 and is located substantially coincident with the edgeof the frame 52. Similarly, the layer of material 58, forming theopposite book cover pocket, is preferably not extended inside of thechannel or framemember 50, but instead is terminated at the edge of theframe member and is stitched to the wall 14 by a peripheral line ofstitching 82. The frame member 50 differs from the member 52, however,in that its upper edge or top channel has secured therein not only theupper edge of the wall'14, but also the upper edge of the outside orclosure flap 28. This construction will, it is thought, be self-evidentfrom an inspection of Figs. 1, 3, and 4.

The various partitions 16, 18, and 20, as well as the wall 12, arepreferably made coextensive in area with the frame F, and in any caseone of the features of the present invention centers about the fact thatthe envelope portion of the bag H is unusually securely and tightlyclosed by closure flap 28 because of the rigid support provided by frameF. To take greatest advantage of this posslbility, the upper edges ofthe partition and wall members are made to extend upwardly near to theedge of the frame, this at its maximum being most clearly shown in Fig.4. Inasmuch as the closure flap 28 extends downwardly directly from theframe member 50, it follows that the open upper edges of thecompartments of the hand bag are always securely closed by the closureflap,

there being no appreciable space therebetween to permit escape ofarticles from the hand bag pockets. The gussets at the ends of the handbag pockets are likewise secure- 1y closed, even though no extramaterial is provided at said gussets, because regardless of any bulgewhich may be produced in the hand bag pockets by articles carriedtherein, the upper edges are invariably brought close together and areclosed by the closely superjacent surface of the closure flap 28. Thisresult follows from the fact that the envelope bag is stiffened andstretched out to shapebythe frame. Atthispoint it may also be mentionedthat the open edge of the envelope portion H of the bag is preferablylocated at the same edge as the openable or upper edge of the bookcompartment B because with this arrangement the articles carried in thebag are subiected to least disarray and least likelihood of loss whenthe boolk compartment is opened to read the 1300i.

The hand bag may, of course, be made of any suitable material known tothe hand bag art. In addition to the usual materials, such as leatherand various imitations of leather, I have found it possible .anddesirable to use a form of hard-surfaced well-finished felt, in whichcase the bag may be made and sold relatively inexpensively. Thecontrasting decorative material 40, shown in Fig. 1, may then beleather.

It is believed that the mode of constructing and using the hand bag ofmy invention, and the many advantages thereof, will be apparent from theforegoing detailed description. The hand bag is provided with a bookcompartment, making it possible for a commuter or traveler to carry boththe usual hand bag articles and a book in a single convenientreceptacle. The book is so supported in the hand bag that it need not beremoved therefrom to read the same, and, on the contrary, the bookcompartment acts as an effective book cover which supports the book, sothat the assembly may be held in one hand when reading the book. Thebook cover provided is of a particularly beneficial kind because itencloses the edges as well as the covers of the book, and fully protectsthe book as well as fully conceals the book. The book compartment opensto its full width in a flat condition, and does not tend to prevent fullopening of the book which therefore may be read with as much ease andcomfort as though removed from the hand bag. In opening and reading thebook, there is no disarray or upsetting of the articles carried in thehand bag pockets, for the latter are normally kept in upward condition.The entire bag is' a single integral article, readily and convenientlycarried and handled, and as neat, smart, and attractive in appearancewhen closed as though no book were being carried at all.

In preferred construction the hand bag is a novel combined envelope bagand frame bag, a single frame being used to stiffen the entire bag. Thestiffening efiect produced by the frame is incidentally used to insuretight closure of the envelope portion of the bag. The adjacent sides ofthe envelope and frame bag portions may be made of a single piece ofmaterial, thereby economizing in use of material at that point. If abook is not carried in the book compartment, there results a relativelycommodious pocket which may shopping or the like. The frame is ofsimple, economical, and inexpensive type, and yet serves a number offunctions: first, in stiffening the bagas aforesaid; second, in holdingthe edges of the book compartment rigid to prevent warping and flappingthereof when the book is opened; third, to provide a; relatively widecompartment which need not be bulged to an unsightly extent whencarrying a book; fourth, to provide a metalbe used for sundry articles,as when lic band, creating a color contrast which enhances the exteriorappearance of the bag; fifth, it helps support a book in the bookcompartment whether the compartment is opened or closed; and sixth itfacilitates the provision of separate and independently operable closuremeans for the book compartment and the envelope portion of the bag.

It will be understood that the frame, instead of being arranged withclosed edge toward closed edge, may be reversed if it is desired toconceal instead of display the metal. Also, the frame may be disposed inthe plane of the hand bag, instead of normally thereof if it is notdesired to provide a wide compartment. A single frame may be used forthe entire hand bag, as shown, but, of course, both the book compartmentand the hand bag portion may be made of frame construction, and,conversely, both the book compartment and hand bag portion may, ifdesired, be made without any frame. course, the book compartment ispreferably widely openable, and consequently if a zipper fastener or thelike is used, it is preferably extended as fully down the side as wellas the upper edge of the book compartment as possible.

These and various other changes may .be made in the hand bagconstruction, and it will therefore be apparent that while I have shownand described my invention in preferred form, many changes andmodifications may be made in the structure disclosed, without departingfrom the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A book compartment comprising flexibe covering material and twoinverted U- shaped stiff frame members pivoted at their lower ends, thecovering material being secured to and held in shape by the framemembers, said frame members defining the length and width of the bookcompartment and being dimensioned to readily receive a book of normalsize, means to lock the frame members in closed relation, said framemembers serving to bring and hold the edges of the compartment togetherdespite the flexiblity of the covering material so as to protectivelyhouse and conceal the book carried thereby, the pivoting of the framemembers at the lower edge of the compartment permitting the book to befully opened and read without removing the same from the compartment,

said compartment being further provided with means to hold the booktherein.

2. A book compartment comprising covering material and two invertedU-shaped frame members pivoted at their lower ends, each of said framemembers being channeled in cross-section to receive the coveringmaterial. the frame channels being arranged at right angles to the planeof the frame, thereby making the compartment of substantial Width toaccommodate a book without unduly bulging the compartment,the innerwalls of said compartment being provided with pockets for receiving thecover boards of a book.

3. A unitary enclosed ladies hand bag made of stiff frame members andflexible covering material and comprising a hand bag portion including aclosure flap and structurally resembling an envelope bag, and a bookcompartment structurally resembling a frame-bag, said book compartmentcomprising two inverted U-shaped stifi' frame members pivoted at theirlower ends and defining the length and width of the bag with dimensionsselected to readily receive a book of normal size, said frame membersserving to bring and hold the edges of the book compartment togetherdespite the flexibility of the covering material so as to protectivelyhouse and conceal the book carried thereby, the pivoting of the framemembers at the lower edges of the compartment permitting the'book to beopened and read without removing the same from the compartment, saidcompartment being further provided with means to hold the book therein,the hand bag portion being substantially coextensive in area with thebook compartment and being stifl'ened and held in shape by the'frame ofthe book compartment, said closure'flap being secured to and'extendingdownwardly directly from the upper edge of the adjacent frame member.

. 4:. A unitary enclosed ladieshand bag comprising a hand bag portionincluding a closure flap and structurally resembling an envelope'bag,and a book compartment structurally resembling a frame bag, said bookcompartment including two. inverted U- shaped frame members pivoted attheir lower ends, the side legs of said frame members beequal in lengthto the height ing substantially of the bag, each of said frame membersbeing channeled in cross-section to receive the bag material, the framechannels being arranged at right angles to the plane of the frame andthereby making the compartment of substantial width, the hand bagportion lying at one side of the frame bag portion and beingsubstantially coextensive in area therewith and stiffened and shapedthereby, the closure flap of said envelope bag portion being securedinand extending downwardly directly fromthe upper channeled edge of theadjacent frame member.

5. A unitary fully enclosed ladies hand bag made of stifli frame membersand a flexible covering material, said hand bag comprising a handbagportion and a book compartment substantially coextensive in area andlocated side by side and formlng a unitary hand bag structure, said bookcompart- -ment= comprising two inverted U-shaped frame members pivotedat their lowerends and defining the length and the full width of the bagwith dimensions selected to readily receive a book of normal size, saidframe members serving to bring and hold the edges of the bookcompartment together despite the flexibility of the covering material soas to protectively house and conceal the book carried thereby, thepivoting of the frame members at the lower edges of the compartmentpermitting the book to be opened and read

